Well in today's day and age, with the Internet, you could follow any team, in any sport, anywhere around the world if you wanted to, but people here want to follow Nebraska.

- Steve Banner, Author -

LINCOLN – Husker fans expand all across the globe. One Husker fan, originally from Australia, moved to Fort Worth, Texas, married an NU alumna and now bleeds scarlet and cream in California.

Steve Banner, or the “Aussie Husker”, as some call him, recently published his first book about the Huskers, “That Guy’s Wearing Red, Too!” In the book, he talks about the past Nebraska football season and his experience covering the team. He visits Lincoln for all the team’s home games.

“It’s been great, people in Nebraska have been so friendly. I’ve been coming out for all of last season and all of this season. People have been so kind, inviting me to tailgates, offering me tickets to the game and so on. It’s been so welcoming. They love their Huskers and they therefore love anybody else who loves their Huskers,” said Banner.

He even goes on to reference Beatrice. His wife’s mother was born and raised in the area, where she played the trombone in the High School Band.

“So, I wanted to go to Beatrice to see that place. My wife was with me and we went to the church my wife’s mother had grown up in and so on. The most wonderful coincidence of all, we met her music teacher, a lady who’s now 88 years old. She’s the piano teacher, so 88 and piano, it’s a marriage made in heaven,” stated Banner.

His impression of Nebraska is that it is how life is supposed to be lived. After living in places like Saudi Arabia, Montreal and New York, he has fallen in love with the Cornhusker State.

“Coming to Nebraska, it’s just like this is the place the place where people have a wonderful lifestyle and a wonderful approach to life, beautiful nature and it’s they’re so friendly helping one another. My theory is that friendliness in Nebraska comes back to how the state was originally settled through the homesteading. I knew nothing about homesteading until I researched it in various libraries. I realized at that time, you had nothing and you had to help your neighbor,” declared Banner.

After all his work at covering Nebraska football, he has come to appreciate all the fans that stick with the team through the thick and thin, and all the support he has received.

“Some people that I’ve said that to say, ‘well, you gotta understand, that’s all we have. We don’t have any other teams, any professional teams.’ I say to that, well in today’s day and age, with the Internet, you could follow any team, in any sport, anywhere around the world if you wanted to, but people here want to follow Nebraska. If I asked ten people in Dallas, who was their favorite sporting team in any sport, I’d get fifteen different answers. Up here, you get one answer. I think that’s very special and unique. That’s what drew me to writing this book, and it’s been a wonderful experience. Thank you, Nebraska,” exclaimed Banner.

Keep an eye out for his next book, and who knows, many more after that.